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Turn to face the strange changes
New info on hormones and menopausal women
Hormones get the rap for a lot of things. Plenty of questions surround them,
too. Is it true that your sexual desire is closely linked to testosterone levels
in your blood? Does the Pill affect your libido? Are bioidentical hormones safer
than others? Should women even be taking hormones in the first place?
In this column, we'll focus on whether it is safe for women to take hormones—a
question that has been on women's minds for the past five years. In early 2002
the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study on combined estrogen and progestin
treatment in postmenopausal women was stopped prematurely because it was feared
that this type of treatment would cause increased risk of coronary heart
disease, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer. Understandably, many women
became skittish about taking any hormones at all for menopausal symptoms.
Until that study was halted, hormone therapy was thought to be a safe and
effective treatment for menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, irritability,
vaginal dryness and night sweats. Then, almost overnight, many stopped taking
hormones altogether after they read the alarming headlines. Well, what's the
news since then?
A critical look at the WHI study shows that the women in that study were not
really representative of menopausal women, after all. On average, the women in
the WHI study were 12 years after menopause. Seventy percent were between 60 and
79 years old. Other factors such as the overall health of the women in the WHI
study, the statistical methods used, and the choice of hormone therapy have been
criticized, too. Another, better study, specifically designed to answer
questions about how well recently menopausal women (age 40-55) tolerate hormone
therapy is now being carried out, but we don't have the answers from that study
yet.
This much we do know: Women who start taking hormones closer to the onset of
menopause apparently do not experience increased heart risk. And at least two
studies show that combining estrogen and progestin may lower a woman's risk of
developing diabetes. Which means, if you are experiencing severe menopausal
symptoms, don't rule out hormone therapy. But you need to discuss your best
options with your own health provider.
I recommend reading up on the pros and cons in advance. A helpful website that
features a balanced view is the CBSCares menopause website,
cbs.com/cbs_cares/menopause/index. The articles are written in a question
and answer format that is easy to absorb. It features interviews with several
menopause experts, who actually represent different views, which just shows how
complex this topic is.
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If you want to consult someone who specializes in menopausal issues, I recommend
going to the provider list of the North American Menopause Society website,
menopause.org to find a local provider. And pick the recent book The
Hormone Decision by Tara Parker Pope. As always, getting informed is the key
to making good decisions for your own health.
Sex Files
Reprinted from C-Ville Weekly
11/06/2007-11/12/2007
